Women Find Web Useful for Family Issues, Study Says

An increasing number of women are relying on the Internet as a vital source of information that influences their family decisions, according to results of a study released yesterday.

Conducted by e-CRM provider Cyber Dialogue, New York, and commissioned by Disney.com, the study found that 94 percent of respondents view the Internet as a useful tool for answering questions about their families.

"The Internet is fast becoming the most powerful, cost-effective medium for reaching today's cyber family and particularly the moms who influence the overwhelming majority of all family purchases," said Ken Goldstein, managing director at Disney Online.

Key findings include:

• Eighty-eight percent of women increasingly rely on the Web for parental guidance and ideas, saying they are constantly looking for new things to do with their children.

• Eighty-six percent said they made an online purchase in the past six months, while 85 percent said they clicked on an online ad in that period.

• Eighty-four percent said they visit "trusted" family Web sites with their children.

• Ninety-two percent said the Internet is an important part of leisure and entertainment.

The study was conducted over the past three months with an online sample of 2,010 respondents.